Photography of the John Wesley Powell Voyage of 1871-72

By Phil Stoffer

In May of 1871, Major John Wesley Powell was looking to hire help for his upcoming second expedition through the Grand Canyon. With better-designed boats and an able crew, the second voyage was intended for scientific investigation, topographic mapping, and as a photographic expedition, rather than an adventure like Powell's first trip down the canyon in 1869.

With a recommendation, Major Powell hired E.O. Beaman as a photographer for the expedition. Also in a chance meeting in Salt Lake City, Powell recruited a young army major, John (Jack) K. Hillers, to serve as a boatman. Although Hillers served primarily as an oarsman and an assistant to the survey crew, he became interested in photography by working with Beaman. Photographic methods were still fairly primitive; large pictures still required large negatives, and hence a large camera. In addition, the existing wet-plate method of taking and developing photographs in the field required a large amount of supplies. Beaman brought nearly 1,000 pounds of photographic equipment and supplies on the voyage, which Hillers assisted in moving. Beaman used an emerging photographic technique, stereoscopic photograph--two images taken in parallel a short distance apart that when viewed though an optical stereograph produced a three-dimensional image.

In January of 1872, Powell fired Beaman after an argument. Powell then hired another photographer from Salt Lake City, James Fennemore. By mid-summer Fennemore had become too sick to continue on the expedition. However, before he left the voyage he had trained Hillers to complete the photography of the mission. Powell put Hillers in charge of completing the photographic aspects for the remainder of the voyage and beyond. The two men developed a professional and personal relationship that would last through the extent of their careers with the USGS, of which Powell would become the second director in 1881. Starting in 1872, Powell directed Hillers to focus on photographing the life and cultural aspects of Native American tribes in the Southwest. Hiller's photographic skills, his travels through the West, and perhaps his association with the government, made him one of the most widely recognized and celebrated photographers of the late 19^th century.

Stereoscopic photography (stereographs) became increasingly popular in the 1880s through the early 20^th century before diminishing with the advent of radio and moving pictures. Photographers traveled throughout the West, Europe, and the Middle East collecting images in stereo pairs to sell to the public.

Today, emerging digital technologies are making stereo imaging possible on computer flat screens and via the Internet. Many of the original photographs by Beaman, Fennemore, and Hillers of the 1871-2 voyage, including stereoscopic pairs, are available through the USGS Library's Earth Science Photographic Archive website: http://libraryphoto.er.usgs.gov/. Many of the 3D stereographic images are also available in anaglyphic format (viewing requires red-and-cyan 3D viewing glasses) on the web at: http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov.